Like many of the students who walk into my office, I spent my high school yearsspread thinner than a pat of butter melting on a waffle. I did theater, cross-country(running and skiing), track, student council, math team, etc. etc. etc. When myRenaissance Man Approach to school was rewarded with admission to the Yale class of2008, I felt that my tendency to overcommit myself had been justly rewarded. Sure, itwas a stressful and sleepless slog through four years of high school, but that was theonly way to get where I wanted to go, right?

I used to think so. I don’t anymore. One of the biggest influences behind this 180-shift in my thinking is the work of Cal Newport, a computer science professor who writesabout the habits and hacks of people who manage to achieve a lot in life while still livinglife. Cal has a book that I’d like to recommend to any high school student who feels thatthe only way to succeed is to be either (a) a natural-born genius or (b) a stressed-outzombie. In other words, a book I’d like to recommend to every high school student ever.

The book’s pithy subtitle sums up the approach: Do Less, Live More, Get Accepted.

And if that sounds waaaaaay too good to be true, then this book might be for you.Newport’s core philosophy is that the key to succeeding in high school is not to studyharder but study smarter. And what does that look like? To this question, he provides anentire book full of practical answers, derived from actual case studies with students whomanage to organize their lives so they spend less time studying and participating inextracurricular activities every week without sacrificing overall performance. Many of thestudents he profiles actually manage to perform better than their peers and get into theschool of their dreams. “The big idea,” he writes, is to find a way to become lessoverloaded and less stressed without becoming less impressive.”

How to Be a High School Superstar is passionately devoted to the idea that remarkableachievements have much more to do with your study habits and schedules than yourinnate talents. Unfortunately, the one class never offered in high school is: How toSucceed in High School. The result is that most students – including my former self –resort to a crude, throw-yourself- at-the- wall approach, driven by the perverse logic ofmore exhaustion = better. Newport exposes the flaws in this thinking, showing thatstudying itself is an art form, and one that can be practiced and improved upon. Alongthe way, he offers blueprints to chart your own path to a less stressed, more successfullife.

For those looking to dip their toes into Newport’s work, head on over to his blog by clicking the button below.